Washing machine



3 Sheets-Sheet l J. G. DE REMER WASHING MACHINE Original Filed March 18,1939 April 3, 1945. J. cs.l DE REMI-:R 2,372,770

wmsHIlqG` MACHINE Original Filed March 18"..A 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2April 3 1945- J. G. DE REMER 2,372,770

WASHING MACHINE original Filed March 18, 1939 ,s sheets-sheet s l 156 dwPatented Apr. 3, 1945l v UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE Jay Grant cDe'Berner, Darien, Conn.,

J. G. De `Reiner Research Corporation,

assignor to Union City, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Originalapplication March 18, 1939, Serial No. 262,652, now PatentNo. 2,350,218,dated M ay 30, 1944. Divided and application April 11, 1940, Serial No.329,069. Again divided and this application February 17, 1941, SerialNo. 379,238

2 claims. (ci. ca -12) an outer' tank with, driving devicesvforimpressing uboth a spinning motion and a gyrating motion on thebasket. The driving devices may be suitably positioned under the tankand thebasket may be supported in the tank by a suitable drive shaft orpedestal assembly vcomprising an outer tubular gyrating shaft and aninner spin shaft. The gyratlng shaft may have a large friction gearsecured thereto and the spin shaft a somewhat smaller friction gear. Thedriving devices may comprise a main electricdrive motor having a.

friction gear on each end engaging the gyrating and spin shaft frictiongears respectively.

The above laundry machine is particularly adapted for full automaticloperation. A special shifting element may be provided fo'r shiftingbetween the washing and drying positions. This shifting element maycomprise' .a' brake ring which engages the spin shaft gear to move it upand down. During the washing operation, the brake ring may engage thespin shaft gear, holding 1t stationary and removed from its drive inotorgear. For drying, the shift element may'permit thespin shaft gear -toengage its drive motor gear, the brake element entirely releasing thespin shaft gear during the drying operation. The gyrating shaft gear andits motor gear are in engagement continuously during both washing anddrying operations.'`

The shift element may be operated by a suitable nut and screw mechanismdriven by asmall reversible electric control motor which operates tomove the shift element first to its washing of contacts for controllingthe control motor, and

' sector rings for controlling the main drive motor.

Suitable clockwork is provided for driving a contact arm through asuitable clutch whereby the contact arm may be adjusted independent ofthe clockwork. This contact arm engages the various contacts and sectorrings for controlling entirely automatically the sequence of operationsso that the clothes, when once placed in the basket, may be washed,rinsed and dried entirely automatically, each operation being timedwithoutv further attention from the operator after the clothes have beenplaced in the basket.

The invention also consists incertain new and original features ofconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter'set forth andclaimed.Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthis invention will be particularly pointed out n the claims appendedhereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and themanner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood byreferring to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forniing a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is avertical elevation of the laundry machine with parts shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the main drive shaft assembly;

position and then to its drying position. Suitable contact and circuitdevices may be provided for automatically operating and vreversing thecontrol motor. l A A According to a preferred form, the contact andcircuit devices may comprise a stationary dial having a rst series ofcontacts for controlling hot and cold^waterwsupply valves, a secondseries Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a completelyautomatic operation;

. and

lFig. 5 is a detail of the gyrating-ring used for the washing operation.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will beidentified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to.be as generic in theirapplication as the art will permit. i

Like referencecharacters denote like parts in the several gures of thedrawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for 'purposes ofexplanation, but it will be understood thatthe details may be modifiedin various respects without departure from the broad aspects of theinvention. I

Rererring now-tothe drawings and, more particularly, to Figs. 1 and 2, aparticular type of laundry machine is described to which the automaticcontrol is especially adapted, although it will be understood that thiscontrol is not limited to this type of machine.

This laundry machine comprises, in general, an

f outer tank I enclosing an imperforate type tor I4 drives both the spinshaft I2 and gyrating shaft I3, and control motor I5 automaticallyshifts the machine back and forth between washing' and dryingoperations. Pump I3 is fox` the purpose of emptying the tank into a sinkor the use.

The basket II is made of suitablev material, such as sheet metal andcomprises a dished bottom running into an upwardly and outwardly flaringside wall 24. An annular ring having aper. tures 25 is -secured to sidewall 24.- Ring 25 has an inturned flange 21 for retaining the laundryduring the washing and drying operations.

A plurality of ballles 23 are secured t0 the side wall 24 to assist inagitating the laundry during the washing operation. Two diametricallyopposed bailles may be used', as shown, or any larger number. The basketis supportedv by stub shaft 2| having a top plate 22. 'I'he bottom wall23 of the spinner i's secured between plate 22 and cooperating 'plate 23b'y welding, brazing, or in lany other suitable way.

\ Tank I0 is made up of a structural base ring 3| supporting an annularside wall 32 and in turn supported by legs 33, three legs being shownfor purposes of illustration. The bottom of the tank is made up of anannular trough 34 secured to the sleeve or pedestal 35. An annularflared bracing member 35 is secured to sleeve 35 and tothe bottom oftrough 34. as indicated particularly in Fig. 1. 'I'he sheet metalmembers 32, 34, 35 and 33 may be secured together by welding or brazing,or in any other way well known in the art.A

'I'he cover for tank I3 comprises a fiat ring 31 seated within the upperedge of the tank and having an annular seat 42. Seated on this seat iscentral lid 33 having a depending flared wallapplies an acceleratingvforce to the precessing basket shaft made up of shafts 5I and 2| aboveuniversal joint 52. To impart this accelerating force, friction ringsGlare secured to the upper edge of gyrating shaft I3. Friction rings 33c0- operate with a spherical cup or plate 6| which is secured to sleeve52, which in turn supports bearing bushing 33 journalled on sleeve 58.The bushing 53 is flared at both ends for a purpose hereinafterdescribed. The spherical friction surfaces on cup 6I and friction rings60 are laid out about the center of universal joint 52 when in its lowerv or drying position, indicated in Fig. 2.

For transferring weight from the basket II to the spherical cup 5|, asleeve 54 is provided, journalled on cup GI by bearing ring 55. A shield35 is secured to cup 6| and carries a felt washer 31 bearing againstring 64 for the purpose of retaining lubricant within the -shield 38 andfor preventing water from getting into the bearing mechanism. Shield 63is secured to gyrating sleeve I3 to prevent water getting into the driveshaft assembly.

In the position shown in Fig. 2, the parts are in theirdrying positionand the drying operation has just begun. Spin shaft I2 rotates at acentrifugally extracting speed and at the same time gyrating shaft I3rotates in the same direction at V a slower speed. The friction members50 and 5| carry the basket shaft 2|, 5| joumalled in bear ing 53 in avconical path.

For washing, a gyrating ring 1| is secured to gyrating shaft I3. Ring1I, shown in detail in Fig. 5, has an olf-center recess 12 adapted toreceive a ring or bushing 13 tapered to seat easily within recess 12.Spin shaft I2 is raised in a manner hereinafter described to cause ring'I3 to Aseat in recess 12. Ring 13 is journalled ra- 33. Secured 'to thetop of wall 33 is a fiat wall 40. Walls 33 and 40 providea chamber andact as baffles to prevent water from being thrown out of the machineduring the washing operation. At the same time, walls 39 and 40 havealigned openings for feeding wash water through supply hose |38.

The drive shaft assembly comprises sleeve 35 which Journalsvsleeve shafti3, which in turn journals spin shaft I2. The sleeve or pedestal 35carries a lower shoulder ring 44 providing a radial bearing forgyrating'shaft I3 and a 4collar is secured to shaft I3 to provide avertical thrust bearing operating against ring 44.

The spin shaft I2 comprises a lower section 50 and upper section 5|connected by a universal joint 52, permitting the upper section l5| tospin with the lower section 53 and also to execute a conical precessingmovement about the center of universal joint 52, as will be explainedmore in detail hereinafter. Ring'53 is secured to gyrating sleeve I3 andsupports bearing sleeve 54 for journalling lower section 53. Bearingwashers act between ring 53 and the shoulder on universal joint 52 totake the vertical thrust of spin shaft I2 -Y ,''he upper section 5| hasa sleeve 55 iixedly secured thereto, this sleeve being splined toreceive, 10 2 is the drying position at the .beginning of the dially bybearing 15 and axially between collars 14 an'd 15 fixed on shaft 53.

For driving the machine, an electric motor |4 is bolted to saddle 13.Saddle 13 has side ears 11 pivoted at 8| to side walls 18 of hanger 33.Hanger 33 is suspendedy from pivot B2 secured to base ring 3|..

The shaft of electric motor I4 carries bevel friction gears 33 and 34,engaging respectively gears 86 and 35 yon lower section 53 and gyratingshaft I3. Spring 31 acts between the adjacent leg 33 and an ear 11 ofsaddle 13 to yieldably urge friction gears 83 and 34 into engagementwith friction gears 33 and 35. A stop 33 is secured to a leg 33 and anadjustable screw 33 is secured to saddle 13 to limit the upward movementof gear 33 when it is disengaged from gear 35 for the purposehereinafter described.

Referring to Fig. 2 the pump I5 comprises a casing 3| having an impeller32 pinned t0 lower section 50. 'I'he casing 3| is journalled on shaft 53and has inlet 33 and outlet 34. Flexible hose 35 connects inlet 33 witha drain tube 31 connected to the tank bottom (Fig. l). Flexible hose 33connects discharge outlet 34 with a gooseneck 33 adapted tobe hung overthe edge of a sink, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.The water flows in the direction of the 'arrows and the flexible hose 35resists the torque a complementary splined end 51 of basket stubrdryingoperation. To shiftffrom drying position shaft 2|. Spring 53 actsbetween a recess in up- Der section 5| and the bottom of stub shaft 2|for a purpose hereinafter described. e

' gTo overcome precession, the gyrating shaft I3 13 4rating ring 1I.

to washing position, the spin shaft I2 is elevated,

this disengaging drive gears I3 and 33 and en gaging gyrating bushing 13with the recess in gy- `||2 made up of a worm |05 on the drive shaft ofl motor l5, which meshes worm wheel |06 on screw shaft |01. Screw shaft|01 engages nut |08 having trunnions |09 connected to the forked end ofarm which is secured to pivot shaft Pivot shaft Iis supported by hangers||3 from the bottom ofplate |04 and carries the arms I0|.

It will be apparent from Fig. 1 that when current is supplied to.control motor I5, it will ro. tate screw shaft 01, causing nut |08 tomove downwardly, which inturn imparts upward movement to brake collar|00 which shifts the machine from the drying to the washing position inthe manner described above. Reversal of the control motor I5 will bring'the parts back to the position lshown in Fig. l.

beginning of this operation.l The nut |08 has :lust

reached its uppermost position on screw shaft |01 and the brake ring |00has just permitted Vfriction gear 80 to engage motor friction gear 83and hasv :lust released gear 85 from braking action. Gyrating shaft I3is already moving at washing speed and spin shaft |2 is beginning torotateat drying speed. In explaining this operation, it will be rstassumed that the clothes and everything spinning with the basket areperfectly balanced with respect to thebasket axis. In actual practicethis condition will rarely or seldom occur and the basket will-spinabout a theoretical center of make certain settings and thereafter allwashing, rinsing and drying is done entirely automatically, eachyoperation being timed, and no further attention from the operator isnecessary until itis time to remove the clothes from t^e basket forhanging out to dry or for ironing.

Referring now to Fig. 3, a circuit arrangement is shown for controllingtre automatic operation. The arrangement comprises a dial having a clockshaft ||6 which may be the shaft corresponding to the shaft whichordinarily supports the minute hand of any suitable clock mechanism,'either electric or spring driven. Secured to clock shaft H6 is acontact arm H1 which may be secured to shaft ||6 by any ordinaryfriction clutch commonly used in clocks, whereby thelcontact arm ||1 maybe rotated by the 'operator independent of the clock mechanism` Arrangedin the path of thecontaet arm are sector rings ||8, ||9 ard contacts|20-I3l.

. The several sector rings and contacts are connected to a source ofpower H4 which may be any ordinary A. C. or D. C. household power fine,which power is controlled by a switch l5. Connected in circuit is themain drive motor h3 oi the machine and the control motor |5.v Alsoccnnected in circuit is a solenoid cperatxl water valve connected in ahot water supply line H and a second solenoid'operated water valve |35connected in a cold water'supply line C. Connected in the hot water lineH is asoap box |31 in which may be placed soap chipsor soap powder whichis carried into the machine by the flw of hot water. Pipes H and C areconnected to hose |38 which passes through the cover o f ,tank l0.

It will b'eunderstood that, if desired, the solenoid valves |35'and |36,soap contarxer |31. cn-

tact dial and control-switch ||5 may be suitably built into the machine.

' Operation The drying operation will r11-st be described since themachine is shown inposition at the mass spaced from the geometricalbasket axis, but the correcting action is substantially the same in bothcases.

The basket partakes ofA two movements 1) a spinning movement about itsown axis, and (2)y a gyrating movement about thec enter of universaljoint 52, the basket axis describing a. conical surface. Friction ringscarry friction cup 8| in a circular path, the basket shaft 2| spinningwithin cupl by means of bearings 03 and 65.

It will thus be seen that the gym-stabilizer including gyrating shaft 3exerts a force on the basket tangential to its conical precessionalmovement. The direction of rotation ofl gyrating shaft I3 is the same asthe direction of spin shaft I2 and gyrating shaft |3-impresses anaccelerating force on the precessional niovement'o.F the basket. Thetangential accelerating iorce causes the basket to move in a directionat right angles to the-force or toward true vertical position, thefriction surfaces 60 and 0| permittingl y In case the clothes thegym-stabilizer will center the entire whirling mass about thetheoretical center of mass which will differ slightly rfrom the axis ofthe spinner basket and shaft 2|. In this case, there will be a slightcircular motion of the spherical cup or disc 5| on ring 60, but thecorrecting force acting toward, true vertical due to the correctingaction oigtyrating shaft I3 will nevertheless continue to e s After thebasket l has been spun at centrifugally extracting speed a sufficientlength of time to expel the water from the clothes, the auto,-

matic control operates control motor |5 in such and arresting, thespinning movement 'of spin shaft |2. Further downward movement of nut|08 elevates spin shaft I2, raising the universal joint 52 off thrustbearing 55, compressing springr and moving sleeve shaft 56 and gyratingring 15 upwardly to engage in the socket 12 of gyrating ring 1|, thetapered surface of these members facilitating seating of these parts. lIt will be noted that the basket partakes of no upward movement, butthat the basket shaft 2| telescopes down within sleeve shaft 56,compressing spring 58. Friction'members and 8| maintain ycont/act, theflaring ends of bearing bushing 63 accommodating theupward shift ofuniversal joint ('52 which places it slightly off `center with respectto the center of curvature of the spherical surface of friction members60, 0|.

are not evenly distributed,

Y water to-now for one and one-A This is the washing position. Thegyrating shaft I3 carrying gyrating ring 1l positively moves ring 13 ina circular path, but the basket shaft 2| partakes of norotation aboutits own axis because spring 50 provides sumcient contact pressurebetween gear 86 and brake ring |00 to ing washing.

Thus the basket II with its measured contents of water and clothes isgyrated about the center of universal joint 52 in elevated position, theagi.- tator blades 28 helping to tumble the clothes, opening them up andexposing all parts to the washing action of the water. The ring 25 andflange 21 on the basket prevent the water from sloshing out duringwashing, the bales 33 and 40 on the tank cover' directing any waterwhich might spout upwardly back into the basket and preventing thiswater from discharging out of the machine. l y

After the clothes are washed for a sufficient length of time, thecontrol motor I5 drives the nut |08 upwardly to the position shown inFig. 1, this movement disengaging gyrating rings 1| and 13, engaging theuniversal joint 52 with thrust bearing 55, engaging spin gear 86 withmotor gear 83 ,and disengaging the brake ring |00 from the spin gear 86.The frictional surfaces of gears 83 and B6 permit the necessary slippingto drive spin shaft I2 up to centrifugally discharging speed. Here againspring 58 helps supply the necessary downward pressure to spin gear 36.

Most of the weight of basket I'I and contents during drying is borne byspherical friction members 60 and 6|.

The automatic control functions as follows: Assume the contact arm ||1is restingo5 all contacts in position X from a previous run and theswitch I I5 is open. 'I'he machine is in the washing position. Theclothes will be placed in the basket and the top container |31 will befilled. It is only necessary then to-close power switch |I5 and to startthe clock driving clock shaft H6.

Engagement of arm ||1 with contact button operates cold water solenoid|36 to deliverv a measured amount of cold water into basket The movingarm ||1 contacts sector rings Ill, ||9, thereby starting the one-quarterhorse power main driving motor Il. The machine being in the washingposition, the clothes are theni given a. pr-rinse in cold water of, say,ve minutes until the contact arm I 1 hits button |2|.

This causes control motor I5 to shift the brake ringI 00 to the dryingposltion.- The machine now of the various buttons may, therefore, beselected to allot the proper times to carry out the functions controlledby the widths of these con- `tacts. For example, contactbutton |20,operating cold'water solenoid |30, may cause cold suming the watersupply is adjusted to four gal:- lons per minute and the capacity ofthe-basket is six gallons. It is obvious that when y the arm Ahold thesemembers in non-slipping relation durdrive nut |00 from its lower to itsupper position.

Upon contacting button |22. the control motor II will be reversed,thereby returning the machine to washing position. At'thesame time,contact with button |22 opens hot water valve |25, causing hot water topass through the soap box I 21 and ll the basket with a predeterminedamount of hot water and soap.- The machine |25 opens hot water valve |25to give the clothesv a hot rinse. It will be understood that the msttime hot water passes through soap chamber |21, for the washingoperation, it empties the chamber and that, consequently, this andsubsequent hot rinses are given in pure hot water.

The hot rinsing will take place for, say, five minutes, until contactarm ||1 touches button |21 which shifts the machine to drying position,after which the machine may dry for, say, five minutes. The dryingoperation continues until Contact arm n1 touches hutten |29 which shirtslf minutes, as- .Y

the machine to washing position. kContact withv button |28 again openshot water valve |25 which fills the basket with hot water for a secondhot This hot rinse may continue for, say, five minutes, until contactarm ||1 hits button |20 which shifts the machine to the drying position.This drying operation will continue for, say, ten or fifteen minutes, ifit is desired to spin the clothes.

dry enough for ironing, or until contact arm |I1 engages button ISI'which shifts the machine to washing position, or ready for the nextbatch of clothes. As the arm ||1 passes oil.' of sector rings H2, IIB toposition X, main drive motor Il stops and, if desired, the clockwork mayalso have been set to stop automatically.. v

The machine is now at rest and in the starting position. 'Ihe clotheshave been spun dry and may b'e removed from the machine by the operator.The new batch of clothes may be placed in the basket; the soap box |31filled again, and the automatic control set to operate upon this batchof laundry in the same manner as above described.

Thus, it will be seen that a combined kwashing and drying machineisprovided that is simple in construction and operation, Both spin andgyrating shafts are located below the basket to permit easy access tothe top of the basket. Since the basket spills no water during washing,a mininium amount of water is` consumed. A suitable water level in thebasket for washing'will be about even with .the holes 26.

This type of machine alsolends itself admir-d ably for full' automaticoperation. as both washing and drying operaticns'may -be carried Aon,with the clothes in the same container. No water circulation isrequired since water-is prevented from sloshing out 0f the basket duringwashing andthe tank I0 may be made of minimum capacity since it does nothave to store water. The pump I6 runs only during the drying operationwhen water is being expelled vfrom the basket. The guard ring 25eectively prevents the discharge of. clothes during washing and dryingand the vlarge number of holes 26 permit the water to be expelled duringdrying.

.The washing action is achieved by the gyrating shaft rotating at thesame speed as is used for correction purposes during the dryingoperation. A positive gyrating drive is achieved for the washingoperation. v

The two-part cover for the tank is convenient, as it is only necessaryto remove the center lid 38 for inserting clothes into the -basket andre'- .moving them from the basket. The ring 3l normally stays in placeand acts as a guard to prevent water discharged from the basket Ilduring drying from splattering out of vthe tank l0. The guard ring 3l iscompletely removable from the tank for cleaning purposes and to permitthe spinner basket to be removed. This member may be easily lifted outof the machine, the splined basket shaft 2i lifting out the sleeve shaft56 and being easily replaceable therein.

Various modifications of the invention will be tionen, describes andclaims the basket and tank with the double wall cover 'cooperating tohelp prevent expulsion of the liquid vduring washing while permittingexpulsion .of the liquid lfrom the basket during While certain novel-features of theI invention I have been disclosed and are pointed out inthe apparent to those skilled in the art. For example.

if automatic operation is not desired, the control motor I5, reductiongears H2 and nut and screw bolt assembly 108, |09 may be eliminated anda simple' pedal placed on the end of arm IM with suitable catchmechanism for shifting between washingv and drying positions. Also, thebailies 38 and 40 in the tank cover formingconcentrie chamber 4| may beconveniently usedr as a soap` chamber.

Also, if desired, provision-may be made for reversing the main drivemotor Il during some or the operations, for example, during the rinsingoperation in the event trouble is encountered from clothes becomingtangled in the basket due to continuous rotation of the basket in onedirection.

Also, if it is desired to gyrete the basket ethigh speeds during thewashing Operation, a countei-weight may be applied' to oilset anytendency of the machine to lurcli around during washi ing. Thecounterweight would be applied either to gyrating shaft I3 or its guardring 68, or to the upper side of the rim of friction wheel 85,the`counterweight always being placed diametriannexed claims, it will beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may. bemade by thoseskilled in the art without depart ing `from the spirit ofthe invention.

- What is claimed is: 1. In an automatic control for washing and dryingmachines having a shift'able element for between V-pesitiens eorresprKlingv te washing and operations, a'reversible cori-v trol motoroperating said shiitable element back and forth.v a main drive motor forsaid mat-linie, a hot water supply conduit having a soap chamberincorporated therein, va cold water supply conduit, said conduitssupplying said machine, electro-mechanical valves in said conduits, aV.conv trol dial comprising. clock mechanism having a minute shaft, acontact arm, a friction clutch between said arm and said shaft, saiddial have ing concentric-sector rings for controlling saidmain motor, arst series of contacts for con-I trolling each of said valvesseparately' from the other, a second series ofcontacts for controllingsaid control motor, said arm contacting said secthrough the entire cycleof -operations to keep said main motor running, certain of Asaid secondseries or contacts said control motor in one direction and certain ofsaid second of contacts running said control motor in the'oppositedirection. v v 2. In an automatic control for washing and dryingmachines having a sliiftable element-,froichanging betweenewashing andpositions, "a reversible control motor operating 'said shiftable elementback and forth, a main `drive motor for said machine, a hot water supplyconduit, a cold water supply conduit, said conduits supply.-

i ing` said machine, electro-mechanical valves inr cally opposite to theeccentric opening 12 ot the washing. operation.'

said conduits, clock mechanism having a drive' shaft, a contact member,'a dial membena clutch between'sald drive shaftand one of vsaid membersto move said 'members relatively. said dial havj ing concentric sectorringsior controlling said main motor, a first series of contactsforholdinc said valves open, a second seriesv of contacts for ycontrolling said control motor, 'said arm contact-f ing said sectorrings through the entire cycle Patent 2,350,218, above-mentioned.describes e and claims the means for stabilizing the'basketduring'centrifugal extraction involving the use of concentric driveshafts: this application also describes and claims the drivingmechanismincluding the drive motor with friction gears on the opposite ends 'orits shaft' engaslns the trietion gears on the spin and gyyting shafts.

of operations to keep -said main motor running, certain of said secondseries ci' contacts said control motor in .one direction and certain ofsaid second series o'f` contacts running. said control motor in theopposite direction. the width ofthe contacts determining the periodduring which said valves are openand the period for which control motorruns in either direction.

' `.'unrrirtan'rDit Appneeaen serial Ne. 329,069, steve-men

